Dec. 1, 2017 – CNS Budget

Dec. 1, 2017 — Week 13
To: CNS Editors
From: David Poulson and Sheila Schimpf
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
For technical problems, contact CNS technical manager Tony Cepak at (517) 803-6841 or  cepak@msu.edu.
For other matters, contact David Poulson: poulsondavid@gmail.com.
Here is your file:
TRAPPING: Nearly 30,000 people buy a Michigan fur harvester license each year. Some are trappers. The others are hunters of furbearing species. But only about half of the people who buy a license actually participate because of the time commitment involved, state officials say. By Kaley Fech. FOR MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, BLISSFIELD, GREENVILLE, GLADWIN, LAKE COUNTY, HERALD-REVIEW, CADILLAC, BIG RAPIDS, TRAVERSE CITY, PETOSKEY, BAY MILLS, CHEBOYGAN, CRAWFORD COUNTY, ALCONA, MONTMORENCY, HOLLAND, OCEANA, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON AND  ALL POINTS.
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DRONES: State officials say that Michigan prisons are buzzed by drones almost weekly as people try to get cell phones, drugs and other contraband to inmates. State lawmakers want to ban flights over prisons, but they’re stepping on the toes of the FAA which regulates the nation’s airspace. By Jack Nissen. FOR MARQUETTE, GREENVILLE AND ALL POINTS.
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PRESERVES: Michigan’s shipwreck treasures are protected by about a dozen underwater preserves. But they are threatened by a declining corps of volunteers struggling to mark, protect and interpret their history. By Carl Stoddard. FOR ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, PETOSKEY, TRAVERSE CITY, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, ALCONA, CHEBOYGAN, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, MANISTEE, LEELANAU, OCEANA, BAY MILLS AND ALL POINTS.
w/PRESERVESLIST: List of Michigan underwater preserves By Carl Stoddard
w/PRESERVEPHOTO: Shipwreck AUDUBON in upper Lake Huron. Credit: Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
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HISTORICTAX: Michigan’s historic buildings could get a facelift under new legislation to bring back a preservation tax credit that was cut in 2011. Officials say bringing it back could cost the state up to $12 million in general fund revenue. But advocates including a Traverse City senator say it would improve towns and local economies, particularly in the north. By Stephen Olschanski. For TRAVERSE CITY, LANSING CITY PULSE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, SAULT STE. MARIE, CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, MARQUETTE, LEELANAU AND ALL POINTS
 
COWS&WOLVES: Farmers who dump rather than bury dairy and beef cattle may be unwittingly feeding wolves — an “unintentional wildlife food subsidy” — a new study of U.P. wolf feeding habits shows. State law requires burial, but that can be expensive. Nearly a quarter of the diet of wolves consists of cattle in areas near dairy and beef farms, but that doesn’t mean the wolves prey on livestock. We talk to the lead researchers and experts at DNR and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. By Lucy Schroeder. FOR MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, SAULT STE. MARIE, CHEBOYGAN, ST. IGNACE AND ALL POINTS.
           w/COWS&WOLVESPHOTO1: Cattle carcass dump found during a U.P. study of how people change wolf behavior. Credit: Tyler Petroelje
           w/COWS&WOLVESPHOTO2: Researchers used GPS collars to track Upper Peninsula wolves. Credit: Nate Svoboda
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HURONPERCH&WALLEYE: The resurgence of Lake Huron walleye is good news for anglers and biodiversity, but maybe not such good news for yellow perch because they feature prominently on the walleyes’ menu. Fisheries researchers at the DNR, Great Lakes Research Lab in Ann Arbor and Purdue University explain their latest findings and the impact on the Saginaw Bay fishery. By Steven Maier. FOR ALCONA, CHEBOYGAN, MONTMORENCY, GLADWIN AND ALL POINTS.
           w/HURONPERCH&WALLEYEPHOTO: Juvenile yellow perch. Credit: Roger Tabor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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WATERFALLSBOOK: A Cadillac photographer ‘s new book showcases 202 of Michigan’s most beautiful and easiest-to-reach waterfalls, from famous ones like Tahquamenon and Agate Falls to some that photographer Phil Stagg named himself. He’s visited all of them and says he hopes the book and photos lure other people to visit them. By Kate Habrel. FOR CADILLAC, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, BAY MILLS, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
           w/WATERFALLSBOOKPHOTO1: The photo of Tahquamenon Falls that started it all. Credit: Phil Stagg
           w/WATERFALLSBOOKPHOTO2: Cover of “Waterfalls of Michigan: The Collection.” Credit: MI Falls Publishing
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BLACKTERNS – The once-abundant black tern is far less abundant in Great Lakes wetlands, a victim of habitat loss, shrinking coastal wetlands, invasive plant species and fluctuating water levels. There’s a high risk that more colonies will be abandoned, according to a new study of nesting sites, including ones near Sault Ste. Marie, Manistee, Cedarville, Whitefish Point, Pointe Mouillee Marsh and Sebewaing. The number of nesting pairs dropped from 50 to 100 in recent years to 15 in 2016 and to none this year in Ogontz Bay near Escanaba. St. Clair Flats, a major nesting area where the St. Clair River hits Lake St. Clair, faces development pressure nearby. We talk to a lead scientist and Audubon experts. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALCONA, CHEBOYGAN, ST. IGNACE, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, HARBOR SPRINGS, SAULT STE. MARIE, PETOSKEY, LEELANAU, BAY MILLS, MARQUETTE AND ALL POINTS.
           w/BLACKTERNSMAP: Black tern colony sites on the U.S. Great Lakes, 1976-2009. Credit: Francesca Cuthbert and Linda Wires.
           w/BLACKTERNPHOTO: Black tern. Credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service